US Is Paying 'Fired' Workers Not to Work

The Trump administration says its slashing of federal jobs this year will save money in the long run, but the Washington Post reports the cuts won't save much in the short run. The reason? The government is still paying the salaries of more than 154,000 federal employees who accepted offers to leave their jobs—and will continue to do so at least through the end of September. The buyouts appear to have encouraged more people to leave their jobs, but critics see the move as wasteful "because the public is paying tens of thousands of employees not to work for months," per the Post.

The White House counter to that: "Ultimately, the deferred resignation program was not only legal, it provided over 150,000 civil servants a dignified and generous departure from the federal government," said Office of Personnel Management spokeswoman McLaurine Pinover. "It also delivered incredible relief to the American taxpayer. No previous administration has gotten even close to saving American taxpayers this amount of money in such a short amount of time."

Meanwhile, a survey by the Federal News Network finds "high levels of anxiety" among federal workers affected by the cuts—or who fear they might be. "It's been overwhelmingly stressful," writes one respondent. "I mean … I wake up having panic attacks at least four times a week. It's affecting my entire life.".